Chap. 3 S. afinExpJiition upon the Bookof J o B. VCrf. 6. 37 Therefore woe to thole who fay of God , God is not hurt by our fins ? why then fhould we trouble our felves about them ? yes, the Lord will at Iafl let all tanners know he bath been concerned in their fins ; though they have not at all toucht his Effential Glory , yet they have darkned and flurr'd the manifeflaticns of his Glory. And therefore I anfwer, Secondly, All thofe Scriptures beforealledged, importing that fin grieves Gcd , vexes him, and is very burthenfome to ham; all thole are fpoken either of God-man, lefus Chrift, who was made like unto us in all things, except fin, and is fpoken of in the Hilloryesand Prophelies of the Old Teilamenr, before he EdedeJeo took fiefh, as having thofe (inhim) finleffe paffions of anger, and dicumur ar- forrow, and grief, which were found in him after he appeared in áNilIlBenda the flea) : Or if expounded of God, flriUUly confidered, then fuur,rp what is in thofe Scriptures fpoken of God, mull be underfloA arC. after the manner of men, yet as becomes God, who is without all pallions and repen.ings : Or they are to be underflood, not as importing Affedlions in God, but EffeEts upon men. When men fin, God loth fuch things asangry men ufe to do, fuch things as men do that are grieved with what others have done, and re- pent of what themfelves have done,. If grief, anger, repentance, wereproperly wrought incod, when we fin, our fins mull needs be fome, yea much annoyance to him. But while man fees and feels fuchEffedls as there pallions produce, theLord is infinitely exaltedabove the feafl feeling of there pallions, he remains ever the fame : That's it which Elihu fignifieth, . and holds ouo to ob ; we may trouble one another, and trouble our felves by fin, but we cannot at all trouble God. Ifthou fnnefl, what doff thou againf him, what unto him ? I fhallconclude, and gather up the fence of this Context in thefe four brief Dedo ions.. Take two ofthemNegatively, and two Affirmatively. Firfl, God dotb not punifhfingers in anger, only, though he be angry only withfin. Secondly, God loth not punifh f rners, at all, forfear. He fea s none, whom none can hurt. The two Affirmatives take thus : Fi fl , WhenGod punifheth fin, hedoth it out of pure love to juflice, or purely out of love to Juflice. Secondly , God affli&s the godly in mercy ; 'its not becanfe they havedone himWit, but for their good. Elihu4
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